Overview

• In March the Bundesagentur für Arbeit paid a record €1.48 billion in housing costs for Bürgergeld recipients, accounting for 38 percent of total benefits.
• Singles in Munich receive the highest average monthly aid at €1,016, while those in Neustadt an der Waldnaab get just €723, according to the latest figures.
• Chancellor Friedrich Merz has suggested capping rent subsidies in an ARD interview, prompting SPD vice-chair Dagmar Schmidt to vow that benefits will not be cut.
• A lack of affordable housing is forcing municipalities to approve rents above their own adequacy limits, allowing landlords to charge higher rates to welfare recipients.
• An IAB study recommends overhauling income assessment rules to strengthen work incentives, which could remove nearly 400,000 households from dependency and generate up to 170,000 jobs.